St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-03-03

10 trust the nomination of board to the
president, and would only consent to it on
the condition that the majority of the board
should consist of men outside the army and
navy. The point he said, had been
finally conceded that two members should
consist of the secretary of war and the Sec
retary OF the navy, with two members from
civil life to be appointed by the president
There was still such determination that the
board could not, in any sense, recognize
the existing executive authority, that it had
been gravely proposed to call it a
board of defense, not an advis-
ory board. 1t was not to
be helpful to the executive authority of the
country, but to be an independent body,
something like that which was set up by
the French people after the government had
disappeared at Sedan, OF like the San Fran
cisco vigilance committee. He was not in
favor of discOunting the future to the extent
proposed in the pending bill. nor would he
say that all OF nearly all was known thai
could be known on the subject of ships and
guns during the five years that the govern
ment was to be tied up under the contracts
provided for in the amendment proposed by
the committee on appropriations. Mr..
Hall opposed the striking out of the items.
Mr.. Dawes said he had just received
A TELEGRAM FROM NEW YORK,
signed Ambrose Snow, chairman of the
chamber OF commerce committee on coast
defenSes, and president of the board of
trade and transportation. That telegram
was in these words:
The whole commercial community anx-
1ously hopes that some agreement providing
adequate immediate coast defense will be had.
Ii not, public opinion will compel an extra
session. l send duplicates hereof to your
fellow conferees.
Mr.. Dawes said if congress adjourned
without this provision and it, as intended
in the telegram which he had read, public
opinion was going to force an extra session
OF congress to make this adequate provision,
the fault did not lie at the door of the sem
ate or OF the senate conferees. Mr.. German
did not think the senator from Kansas had
done full justice to the conferees on the part
OF the house in seeking to throw upon them
the entire responsibility of the failure to
agree. The senate had met the question
as Americans, and probably had been in ad-
vance of the other branch of congress as to
the amount of money which it was willing
to appropriate. But the representatives of
the people had been unusually earnest and
were ready to go as far as the senate desire.
The bill was then laid aside temporarily
and the senate went into secret session and
subsequently took recess until o'clock.
AT THE EVENING SESSION
the consideration of the naval appropria-
ton bill was resumed, the question being
on Mr.. Plumb's amendment to sttike out of
the amendment of the committee the item
OF S6. 600, 900 for heavily armored vessels or
armored floating batteries or rams to be used
forecast and harbor defense. The amendment
was rejected without division. The amend
ment recommended by the committee was
then adopted without division. 1t strikes
out the house provision for more swift
double-bottomed steel cruisers and four
gunboats, all to cost exclusive of arma-
ment, not more than $4,000, 900,
and inserts in lieu thereof
section providing for the construction by
contract of six protected steel cruisers with
suitable armament and a speed of not less
than twenty knots, the cost of all the
cruisers not to exceed $4,000. 200. Ad-
ditional appropriations are made for ma
chinery and armament, one of the vessels
to be built Oh the Pacific coast, and two on
or near the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
For every quarter knot of speed over twenty
knots the contractor is to. receive $50, 900,
and for every quarter knot under twenty
knots $4,000 will be deducted from the
contract price. Further appropriations are
made as follows: For the construc-
ton of heavily armored vessels
or armered floating batteries or
rams to b4used for coats and hatbor defense,
IS, 900, 600. For the construction of light
draught gun boats, suitable for interior
water ways and canal service. S72, 600; for
the construction OF torpedo boats of the
highest attainable;speeda and efficiency, $780,
n.f fornadf nd nfb bor
pedO appliances to be operated from naval
vessels, floating batteries OF rams, 5000, 600;
of which sum $500.000 shall be lmmed-
ately available, and tor the armament of
these vessels $1,000 900. these appropria-
tions to be available during five years. The
next amendment agreed to was the follow
ing: For the purchase by the secretary of
the navy Gf he shall deem the
purchase adyisable) of the DESTROYER,
a screw vessel of iron, from Capt. John
Ericsson, S112 600. Mr.. Aldrich offered an
amendment appropriating $500. 900 for the
purchase of the Stiletto, to be used as tor
pedo boat for experimental purposes.
Agreed to. The bill and amendments were
then reported to the senate (the former
proceedings being supposed to have been in
committee Of the whole). MI. Plumb
moved to amend the last section of
the naval bill SO as to read:
THAT the material used in all naval struc-
lures provided for in this act, and the
armament for the same shall be as far as
practicable Of American production, and
shall be furnished and manufactured in the
United States" The vote was then taken
on the committees amendment, and it was
decided in the affirmative-yeas 42,
nays 9. The next amendment was the
insertion of the item of $112.OOO for the
purchase of the Ericsson vessel, the De-
stroyer. 1t was agreed to. The bill as
amended was then passed without division.
Mr.. Hoar from the conference committee
on the Pacific Railroad inquiry bill made a
report which was agreed to. The bill now
goes to the president. On motion of Mr..
Malone the senate bill for the
erection of national memorial
bridge over the Potomac from Washington
to Arlington was taken up and passed. 1t ap-
propriates $500, 900 to commence the bridge
which is to be erected in honor of Lincoln
and Grant. On motion of Mr.. Vest the
house bill to authorize the construction Of a
bridge across the Missouri river. between
Kansas City and the town of Sibley, Mo-,
was passed. The conference report on the
agricultural appropriation bill was made
and agreed to.
THE HOUSE.